what is symbiontverse?

sentinels are individuals whose naturally-occurring dormant survivor symbionts gave them enhanced physical abilities and senses when triggered.

• all sentinels have superhuman strength, speed, and reaction times to various degrees, allowing them to excel physically, though their capabilities don't reach the extreme limits of the animal kingdom.
• they also possess one or more of the following enhanced senses: heightened vision, hearing, touch, smell, taste, pain sensitivity, balance, environmental perception, and/or proprioception—in these areas, they might possibly reach the extreme limits of the animal kingdom. this is depending on the type(s) of survivor symbionts integrated with their systems.
• the equilibrium between their extraordinary sensory input and their capacity to process it is called stability; any lack of equilibrium is called instability. an active state of instability is called rampaging, and guiding is the only effective solution to maintaining stability and preventing rampaging. rampaging is most often triggered by sensory overload (😖), emotional trauma (🥹) or intense emotional turmoil (😭), or prolonged instability without guiding intervention (😱).
• if left unchecked, rampaging causes a sentinel to hollow out, a permanent state in which the symbiont fully overtakes the sentinel's mind and body. they become violent and aggressive monsters. physically, their skin erupts with lichen and mushrooms that release spores to force nearby sentinels to rampage as well. they cannot be guided. they can only be killed.
• sentinels are ranked from S-Class to C-Class, with C-Class Sentinels having abilities similar to professional athletes or possibly only a single enhanced sense and very low/no enhanced physical abilities. all sentinels need guiding, but S-Class Sentinels are more at-risk of rampaging.
• some of my favorite tropes for sentinels are the brooding protector, the tortured warrior, the reformed rake, the cold but loyal soldier, the unstable weapon, the touch-starved hero, the lone wolf, walking on a knife's edge, too powerful to function, power at a price, the instinctual pull, i can hear your heartbeat, needs guiding but hates it, scent recognition, and my beloved i'm dangerous stay away. i also love a good sunshine golden retriever sentinel.

sentinels are individuals whose naturally-occurring dormant survivor symbionts gave them enhanced physical abilities and empathy when triggered, as well as their most valuable ability to affect the stability of sentinels.

• guides possess superhuman strength, speed, and reaction times, though they fall short in comparison to sentinels.
• their empathy allows them to sense emotions as if they're tangible, distinct experiences. it's essentially a heightened sense that allows guides to feel and interpret the emotional states of others.
• guides can perceive a sentinel’s stability and can exert their guiding effect on a sentinel’s sensory overload, ​​redirecting their sensory chaos toward the guide, effectively reducing their sensory overload and increasing their stability. their are three types of guiding: low contact guiding (🤗), high contact guiding (😘), and deep contact guiding (🫣).
• overwhelming emotional input, prolonged guiding, or blurred boundaries between their own emotions and those they sense in others can cause a guide to lose equilibrium between their emotional input and the neural system—called blooming (as opposed to rampaging).
• without rest and isolation, blooming also progresses to hollowing out, a permanent state in which the symbiont fully overtakes the guide's mind and body. they become catatonic while their skin erupts with lichen and mushrooms that release spores, which produce a calming effect over a wide area, bringing temporary relief to nearby sentinels, then begin immediately decomposing.
• guides are ranked from S-Class to C-Class, with C-Class Guides having very weak empathy, a low compatibility average, and a general weak guiding effect. typically C-Class Guides remain citizens and take up regular jobs. S-Class Guides are more rare than S-Class Sentinels, and they're more at-risk for blooming.
• some of my favorite tropes for guides are sunshine, cinnamon roll, the healer, the empath (obviously), the idealist, the deadpan snarker, the rebel, the free spirit, the stoic, i shouldn't want this but i do, you think i'm fragile but i'm not, i know you better than yourself, you deserve to be saved too, you can't scare me away, you don't deserve me but i'm hear anyway, the survivor, the tragic hero, the manipulator, the charmer, the tactician, and absolutely unhinged. there's a delicious range.

trigger events are extreme, life-threatening traumas that activate dormant survivor symbionts within an individual, initiating the transformation into a sentinel or guide. these events are marked by a profound belief in imminent death, which triggers the symbiont to integrate with the their sensory and emotional systems.

• any event that could cause post-traumatic stress disorder is a potential trigger event. common examples of trigger events include violent incidents such as home invasions, severe accidents like car crashes, or natural disasters. the defining factor is the overwhelming fear and stress that convinces the individual they are on the brink of death.
• the trauma of these events often leaves lasting emotional scars, shaping the individual’s behavior and outlook even after they adapt to their new abilities. historically, sentinels and guides were forcibly triggered during earlier generations to create super soldiers. some legacy families are rumored to orchestrate "safe" trigger events to mitigate the safety risks while still creating near-death experiences to force their children to become sentinels and guides as early as possible.
• the integration of symbionts enhances the individual’s survival capabilities, granting sentinels heightened sensory perception and guides exceptional empathic abilities. survivor symbionts do not heal and are not a 'cure' of any type. the survivor symbiont(s) integrate into thee body in such a way that it's rendered basically invisible, but as integration increases with instability, skin discolors and lichen, mushrooms, and mycelial tendrils become visible.
• i named my guideverse after symbionts because we really do carry symbionts in our bodies already. i can also admit i was inspired by The Last of Us and Jeff VanderMeer's the Southern Reach series (and Alex Garland's film adaptation Annihilation), which feature some beautiful imagery of lichen and fungi creatures. i like the idea of cross-species collaborations. i think it's poetic, ok?